Shoveling machine



Jana

F. M. HEwlTT sHovELING MACHNE Filed Feb. 9, i925 2 sneet-sheet 1 11mm/nmhv FRANKMHEW TT.-

F. M. HEwITT SHQVELING MACHINE Filed .Fe 9, 1925 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Jan. 26, 1926.A

- cm1-en PTNT l FRANK HEWITT',- or OAKLAND, carin-sonntag Application filed Febary '91 1525i.' sentir 7,83. d

To all whom t may concern; y

Be it known that FRANK `M. Hnwrr'r, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and 5 State of California, has inventedl certain new and useful Improvements in Shoveling Machines', of which the following is a specitication. i

My present machine is an improvement in shoveling machines known. in the trade as mucking machines7 to eXcavate loose material such as dirt, rock, ore etc. loosened from blasting: and is of particular value in mining operations as in tunnels and drifts. The machine is ot' the bucket elevator type and is a further development or improvement of theshovelingl machines shownfin mylPatents 1,213,640 dated January 23, 1917 and 1,304,683 dated May 27, 1919.

Some ofthe objects of my invention, in brief, are to provide `a smoother operating bucket guide or carrier and dumping device, the bucket having a more direct pullv by the sprocket chain, a positively acting dumping guide, a guide for the loose bucketlinks on the return travel, a switching track for the rear bucket wheels, a battle platev to retain the loose dirt on the bucket inV digging, stacker shield plates connecting the. dis- 30 chargehoppervto thestacking conveyor and other' detailed improvements.

To eiiect these objects I have made certain 'mechanical improvements suchy as tlie following :-The elevator sprocketl ychain 1V passes. over smaller sprocket wheels, the pull links 'from the chain to the iront bucket axle are above and in the same vertical plane as the chain, a dumping guide track engagesv the back of the hub of the iront bucket wheels at their' moment of dumping swinging the bucket .to its return position, the loosek sprocketxlinks arek engaged by a top guide rail preventing` their wedging on the returnV travel, a pivoted.`

switching rail .engages theV rear wheels of Vthe bucket and passes them into a switch back stop track, av curved baiile plate eX-v tends into theempty buckets immediately before they dig. preventing the loose material falling' out the back of the bucket andretaining it as,l the bucket rises in a curved pathat the forward end on the elevator,

curvedstacker shieldy platesarejpivoted to the elevator frame and to the stacking con- .55

veyor by a pin and slot connection prevent!V ing material j umping 4the 'hopper and allowing considerable swiveling movement of the excavator and conveyor, .Other'iea'- tures of improvement will appear from'the following specification and.' claims.

My inventionl will be understood 'from the `following specificationI and drawings in L Figure 1 is a side eievatoii, partly in sec'- f f tion, of my'shovelin'g machine, illustrating buckets inY the digging and dumping posi-.

tion, the: position of the stacker shield plates and other features.

the topzof F'i'gurell in tliedirection of the' arrow, Villu'strating thesprocket pull link and ychainsin alinement, rails and'A bucket.l

Figure 4f is la detail o t the .rear or dumpn fing end Qf'rigtenjin vein-@ai see-aorta.-

lu'stfrat'ing the construction and -fur'iction .of the dumping guide track, pivoted switching farete..

.Esuf is". er et .Figures inthe' d,- r'ection otthelarrnw showing the hub guide fxthe",frfmtgludiet.Wheels f, o Figure@ fsnlefl visant the stacker "shield plate@earnestness their connection with the eiicavap, 'and' the conveyor, inV the directionloii the" arrovv v 6 igures" 1 V aDd T. Fig/une isy awerticallsection of lfligur'ef 6 on the linef'r'i?, sh'owin'g partL of Vtliev exeavatcrfframe`l'- Figure .is a' vertical section off Figure 7 on the line 8`. 8.s'hwing the shieldA plates overlapping the' belt.

Figure 9 i'saverti'c'al section of Figurel 1 trans'verse'off the carriage showing'the device for raisingor-low'e'i-ing the digging end ottheeXcavator'.

In the drawings'y A in'dicat'esthe carriage which travels onv tracks B, supports ythe shoveling machine C at its forward end and' the stacking conveyor D to convey' the excavated material. Thev yframe of the excavater is kpreferably a strong casting extending' across the carrier from the sides and carriesl the main rail2, lower rail- 3, middle rail-y 4', dumping guide trackV 5, switch back stopftrack, topfgu'ide rail? forrthe returning loosesprocket Ychain and, the haiiie plate 8. Astlietracks,-sprockets and bucket wheels 'on the'outer ends of the stub shafts.

are the same on both sides of the machine the construction is described as of one side.

The driving sprockets 9 are keyed on -stub shafts 10 having suitable bearings in the side frames and operated by a prime lmover as a motor or through chain gearing The forward idler wheels 11 are loose on studs 12 secured to the lower end of the frame: and the sprocket chain 13 engages a top guide rail 7 on its return travel to prevent the chain from wedging due to being slack. The pull links 14 are attached directly to a link of the sprocket chain, shown on the outside at 15, and connect to the hub 16 of a bucket axle 17 fastened to the outside of each bucket 18; the bucket pull is thus in direct line with the chain.

rl`he front supporting wheels 19, of the bucket, on the elevating travel run on the upper surface 20 and the rear guiding wheels run on the lower surface 21 of the main rail 2, the rear wheels being on the rear axles 22 extending from the bucket. The front and rear wheels are in the same vertical plane. As the bucket approaches the top of the elevator the rear wheels are depressed by the downward curve 23 of the main rail 2, thus partially lifting the front of the bucket.

Switching rails 24 hang loose on studs 25'on each side frame; and pivot in the same plane as the tracks 20 and 21 so that when the rear wheels strike these they swivel up against ay stop 26 on the switchback stop track 6. Continued movement of the bucket forces the rear wheels to follow the switching rails 24 to a position between the side bars 27 and 28 of the stop track, as shown in full lines in Figure 1 and dotted in Figure 4. At the same time the dumping guide track 5 on its inner surface 29 contacts with the back of the hub 30 of the pull links 14. This act-ion causes the uptilting of the bucket and its dumping.

The righting of the bucket is as follows After the buckets are dumped the front wheels 17 contact with the back 31 of the switch rails 24, which have dropped to the position shown by light dotted lines in Figure 4, forcing them out of the way upward. The dumping guide track 5 supports the back of the hub 30 of the pull links 14 until the front .wheels Contact with the lower rail 3. This is afriction guide, but if desired the links 14 may be made of two side pieces with a roller between to contact with the dumping guide 5. As soon as the front wheels start down the lower rails 3 the rear wheels are lifted out of the switch-back stop 6 due in part to the front of the bucket being heavier than the back. They Contact with the hanging switch rail 24, forcing it upward against a stop 32, as shown in heavy dotted lines in Figure 4, allowing. the rear wheels to ride on the back 31 of the switch rails 24, thereby bridging the open space between the upper end of the main rail 2 and the upper end of the middle rail 4. The rear wheels then run on the lower surface 33 of the middle rail 4. rlhe upper surface 34 preventing the rear wheels from tilting down too far from the lower surface 21 of the main rail 2 on the uptravel.

The action of digging and the function and construction of the batlie 8 is as follows The bucket travels down the frame in the manner above described, with the front wheels on the lower rail 3 and the rear wheels on the lower surface 33 of the middle rail 4 which starts the bucket into the dirt or muck pile at an angle with the horizontal. The bottom and sides of the bucket-pass over the baiiie 8 leaving a slight clearance. The baiiie has side walls front curved wall 36 (see Fig. 2), bottom wall 37 and top flange 38, which latter is bolted to the middle rail 4. The bucket follows a path shown in Figures 1 and 2 with the rear wheels bearing on the forward surface 39 of the middle rail 4. The baffle front wall 36 catches rolling lumps or loose dirt and prevents it spilling out of the rear of the bucket, the bottom wall 37 and side walls 38 acting as braces and preventing loose dirt or sand getting behind the front wall. The front wall is curved and positioned so that the rear end of the bucket in its first rising movement just clears the line of movement. By the time the bucket has reached the dotted position 40 lin Figure 1 the 'dirt has come to rest and is not apt to spill over the rear of the bucket. The shoveling machine causes the buckets to undergo the above detailed cycle of operations in succession.

The stacker shield plates connecting'the discharge hopper and the stacking conveyor D is constructed and operates as follows The stacking conveyor D is shown of the endless belt type, and is supported on the carriage A in any suitable manner and has a hopper 41 of which the top side edges 42 extend a considerable distance up the conveyor. The side frame 43 of the conveyor supports rigid bracket 44, as shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8, of angular formation to extend over the belt 45. A bracket 46 is built on the upper end of the side frames 1 at each side and by means of staples 47 and 48 swivelly holds plates 49. These plates 49 have a transverse pin 50 on which is swung a curved stacker shield plate 51 having a substantially horizontal slot 52 engaging a fixed pin 53 on the bracket 44. |The plates 49 allow the conveyor to be swung to discharge laterally, within limits, and the curved shield plates 51 follow the up and down motion of the Y and 9. The lower part of the frame l, has

a heavy bar 54 bolted thereon and the carriage A has a rearward projection 55 with transverse slots 56 with shafts 57 there across. These shafts loosely carry segmental worm wheels 58, which mesh withworms 59 on the transverse shaft 60, rotatably mounted in the carriage and having a squared crank end 61. The wormwheels 58 have an arm 62 forming a bell crank and have apertures therethrough 63 in which tension bolts Gtengage by a socket and bar or ball connection 65. Then the shaft 57 is turned it oscillates the segment 58 and bell crank thereby elevating or lowering the bar 54.

The side rails or frame have not been shown in detail as the construction will be apparent trom my priorpatents, they are however joined by a` substantial casting. The middle rail il which forms the tracks .33 and Si is attached to each side 'frame and is joined by a strong rib 66 at its lower end, the upper part must necessarily be kept clear to allow the buckets to swing downward from the dumping position.

The manner of operation of my shoveling is believed clear from the above description of the elements in detail. The construction may be modified to suit special circumstances and local requirements without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim is l. A shoveling machine comprising` in combination an excavator frame, chains operatively mounted in the frame, excavating buckets and a link connecting the chain and buckets in the plane ofthe chain.

2. A shoveling machine ycomprising in combination an excavator frame, sprocket and guide wheels in the frame, sprocket chains on said wheels, excavating buckets and a pull link connecting' thel sprocket chains and the buckets in the same vertical plane.

A shoveling machine comprisingv in combination an excavator frame, sprocket and guide wheels in the frame,-sprocket chains driven by the sprocket Wheels and passing over the guide wheels, rails in the trame, excavating buckets, wheels on the bucket running on the rail and a pull link connecting the sprocket chains and the buckets said chain and pullv link being in the same vertical plane substantially.

4. A shoveling machine comprising in combination an excavator frame, a sprocket chain having sprocket and guide wheels therefor, rails 1n the frame, 'excavating kbuckets having studs with wheels thereon running on ythe rails and a pull link cennecting the sprocket chains and the studs said pull link and sprocket chain being substantially in the same vertical plane.

5. A shoveling machine comprising in combination an excavator frame, rails in the frame, excavating buckets having front and and rear Wheels ruiming on the rails and a switch rail arcuate shaped on upper and lower sides to guide thel rear wheels in a .switch-back path from one relation to the lfront wheels to the reverse thereof, said switch rail being constructed and positioned to guide the rear wheels on the upward movement on itsl concave side and on its downward movement on its convex side.

6. A shoveling machine comprising in combination an excavator frame, rails in the frame, excavating buckets having' front and rear wheels ruiming on the rails and a switch rail arcuate shaped on upper and lower sides to guide the rear wheels off oit one rail and back onto another rail whereby the rear wheels are transferred :from a leading to a trailing relation to the front wheels, said switch rail being constructed and positioned to guide the rear wheels on the upward movement on its concave side and on its downward movement on its convex side.

7.A shovelingl machine comprising in combination an excavatorframfe,V excavating buckets having front and rear wheels oper atively mounted in the trame, an Vupward and a downward track for the rear wheels and a switch rail arcuate shaped, on upper and lowersides to guide the rear wheels ott the upward and onto` the downward track whereby the rear wheels are transferred trom a` leading tov a trailing` relation to the front wheels, said switch rail being constructed and positioned to guide the rear wheels on the upward movement on its concave side and on its downward moif'einent on its convex side.

S. A shoveling machine comprising in combination an excavator frame, excavating' buckets having front and rear wheels ope-ratively mountedv in the frame, an upward and a downward track for the rear wheels, an upward and downward track for the front wheels and an arcuate shaped switch rail mounted to guide ythe rear wheels off the upward and onto their downward track, said rear wheels bearing on first the concave and then on the convex side ot the switch rail, and to permit the front wheels to pass from their upward to downward track said wheels being in the same vertical plane whereby the rear wheels are trans ferred from a leading to a trailing relation to the front wheels. v

9. A shoveling machine comprising in combination an excavator frame having tracks thereon, a switch-back track, buckets having wheels operating on said tracks, a switch rail concave on one side and convex on the other to guide one set of wheels into the switch-back track and a dumping guide track to pass the other set of wheels over the switch-back track.

10. A shoveling machine comprising in combination an excavator trame having sprocket chains operative therein, excavating buckets having` pull links connected to the sprocket chains and a dumping guide track to bear against the outer surface ot the link as it changes its direction of travel at the upper part ot its motion whereby guiding the bucket in dumping.

1. A shoveling` machine comprising in combination an excavator trame having sprocket chains operative therein, buckets having axles with wheels thereon running on tracks in the trame, a sprocket chain having pull links pivoted thereto and connected to the said axles and a dumping` guide track to support the ends ot the axles when the bucket changes its direction of travel at the upper end ot its motion.

12. A shoveling machine comprising in combination a material elevator mechanism lfiaving dumping buckets, a conveyor on which the material is dumped and shield plates at each side of the conveyor universally connected to the elevator and the conveyor adapted to prevent material from falling ott the conveyor when the buckets are dumped and allowing the conveyors to be shifted relative to the elevator.

13. A shoveling machine comprising in combination a material elevator mechanism having dumping buckets, a conveyor on which the material is dumped, side plates pivotally mounted on the elevator, shield plates connected to the side plates and brackets on the conveyor connected to the shield plates.

iA. A shox/cling machine comprising in combination a material elevator mechanism having rear dumping buckets, a conveyor on which the material is dumped, side plates pivotally mounted on the elevator on substantially vertical pintles, shield plates swiveled on the side plates to swing on a substantially horizontal axis and brackets on the conveyor having` a pin and slot connection to the shield plates.

15. A shoveling machine having the combination oit an. excavator frame, upper and buckets said pull links and chain being in the same vertical plane, a switch rail to guide the leading wheels on the upward travel in a switch-back track to a trailing position on the downward travel, a dumping guide track to engage the pull links and cooperate with the switch-back track to dump and reverse the buckets, a guide rail for the sprocket chain on its downward travel and a l'iatile to prevent material telling out of the rear of the buckets.

16. in a shoveling machine a sprocket chain having` links and pins, a pull link swivelcd to one oit the pins curved up and over the'chain and adapted to engage the axle of a bucket in the vertical plane or" the chain.

17. ln a shoveling machine arcuate shaped switch rails pivotally mounted` on trame to hang down, va stop to limit the swing upward in one direction adapted to guide wheels on a concave surface from an upgoing track and a stop to limit the swing in the opposite upward direction adapted to guide wheels to a downgoing track on a con- Vex surface.

18. ln a shoveling machine an upgoing and a downgoing track with a space therebetween, a bucket having wheels mounted on axles and a curved dumping guide track adapted to operatively engage and support the end ot' the axles while the wheels pass from the upgoing to the downgoing track.

19. ln a device ot' the character described a bucket comprising a bottom and two side walls, means for successively advancing, littingand retreating the bucket for scooping action while the bucket remains in a substantially horizontal position and a stationary back allowing the sides ot the bucket to straddle the same while the bucket advances and allowing the rear edge of' the bottom ot the bucket to ride thereon when the bucket ascends.

20. In a device ot the character described, a bucket comprising a bottom and two side walls, means ior successively advancing, lifting and retreating the bucket for scooping action while the bucket remains in a substantially horizontal position and stationary means arranged to provide a dirt retaining back for the bucket throughout the scooping operation.

In testimony whereof l atlix my signature.

FRANK M. HEVVITT.

llO 

